Windows 7 Beta Review

Introduction

We all know that just about every computer is different. Some are built for gaming, some for word processing, others are just designed for watching movies. However, there is one thing that all computers have in common; an operating system. It can make or break any computer. In fact, it is one of the reasons Apple does so well. They've managed to develop OSX, a simple and easy to use operating system that just about everyone enjoys. That and the exploitation of what some people will call Microsoft's weakness, Windows Vista. Some people love it and others, well they'd rather drop kick a cement block than touch the thing. One of the main reasons for this is because most of the computer users don't want to take the time to learn how it works. They don't want to have to fiddle with settings and download third party programs in order to make their desktop the way they want it. Most people want simplicity. On the other hand you have people like us - enthusiasts, power users, geeks, whatever you want to call us! Most of us don't mind playing around in the registry. In fact, most of us enjoy it. That's not to say we all liked Vista. Even some enthusiasts have various qualms with Vista; it uses too much memory, it runs too slow, or maybe the pop-up when trying to run a program was a bit irritating. I personally appreciated Vista, and hopefully Microsoft's new offering will be a step in the right direction to counter Vista's dwindling sales.

Many of you know that Microsoft's latest operating system is called Windows 7. Some of you may even have tried the beta, which has been available for download for a couple weeks now. Why Windows 7? Their have been many more versions of Windows than just seven. Maybe it's because there are seven letters in Windows. Who knows, and it doesn't really matter. What's important? How it performs. Is it another gold mine like XP or another step in the wrong direction? In this review Zertz and I will attempt to give you an accurate summary of how Microsoft's latest operating system performs, as well as how it stacks up to earlier versions. What kind of major flaws will there be and what genius ideas has Microsoft thought up? Let's find out.

Getting Started

Because Windows 7 is currently in its beta form, you can legally download it off Microsoft's Windows 7 website. From there you can choose whether to download the beta in either 32- or 64-bit, mostly depending on how much memory you plan to use. This is also where the system requirements are found and, surprisingly enough in this quickly evolving computer world, they're the exact same as Vista. For those that need some extra help, Microsoft supplies some installation instructions and tips as well, but suggests you shouldn't upgrade your main computer to 7 just yet.

The three gigabyte file is an ISO, which is basically a CD/DVD image and can be burned to a DVD with proper software. Once you have successfully completed the download, you will need, shockingly enough, a blank DVD. Open your favorite burning software and let the burning begin. Recent operating systems have a way of being extremely easy to install. Simply drop the installation disc in and follow the on-screen instructions. The amount of time it takes to install varies depending on your hardware configuration. Just make sure the first boot device is your optical drive and follow the on-screen instructions. One can't argue that Vista's installation was not only pretty, especially compared to XP, and it was also very easy to go through. Windows 7 is no different and nothing has changed except slight tweaks to the interface.

The process takes roughly as long as Vista, so you can spend that next half hour reading what we thought about Microsoft's next generation operating system!